


Marked

by hammer



Series: Flesh Alliance [5]
Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Branding, M/M, Marking, consensual hurt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-10
Updated: 2013-07-10
Packaged: 2017-12-18 08:30:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/877760
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hammer/pseuds/hammer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Khan marks Kirk properly.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Marked

**Author's Note:**

> This story makes references to parts from Heat & Distraction, but it stands on its on. 
> 
> It takes place after Alliance, possibly after Kirk and Khan attempt to take on Starfleet, when the bond between them has grown leaps and bounds.

The communicator beeped. 

“Kirk here.”

“Are you sure?” Khan asked, for what seemed the hundredth time.

“I already said yes. What's the problem?”

“Well...I wanted to make sure you felt the same without me around.”

“Why would...oh, yeah. That.” Jim paused. Of course Khan wondered if his augmented pheromones had been a factor in Jim's decision. “I thought about it. I still want to do this. Are you ready?”

“Yes. Meet me at Sickbay.”

“Kirk out.”

**

When Jim arrived at Sickbay, he saw Khan sitting on a stool by one of the biobeds. As usual, he was dressed in all black, with his hair slicked back and a look of deep thought on his face. He saw Jim enter and the corners of his mouth curled up for a second, and his handsome angular face softened.

“Everything is ready, Jim. Are you...” But Jim cut him off.

“Don't. If you ask me one more time, I'll turn around and leave.” Jim didn't mean it, but he didn't know how else to convince Khan. “Look, we've talked about it. It's your idea, but I get to choose how it gets done.” Jim continued, knowing Khan wasn't used to not being in control. It explained the superman's uneasiness. But in this case, Jim thought it was for the best. Khan would see it his way afterward, he was sure of it. Khan just had to learn to trust him more.

“Yes, I know, Jim. I have all six pieces here. I cut them according to your specifications.” 

Khan had recovered a special piece of space debris while he still kept Jim as a prisoner. He had used a few parts from it to help repair the Vengeance, then left it in Engineering, unable to simply junk it. It was all that remained of the Enterprise. Jim had asked him to cut six small bits of metal of certain lengths from it.

Khan had set all the pieces on a tray by the biobed. Jim took a closer look. 

“Perfect.”

“Are you going to explain it to me now?” Khan's pale eyes seemed anxious.

“Six pieces. Six crew members.” Jim said simply.

“Ah.” Khan seemed underwhelmed.

“What? Disappointed?” Kirk asked, teasingly.

“No. It makes perfect sense. It's a good choice.” Khan sounded sincere.

“What would you do?”

“If I could, I'd probably do something similar. But I can't.” 

Jim climbed unto the biobed and laid down. Khan got up and adjusted the angle of the bed so Jim could sit up comfortably. Then he lowered the armrest so it was where he needed it. Jim put his right arm on it, with his palm facing up. 

“Comfortable?” Khan asked.

“Will you stop fussing? Just get on with it.” Jim said, with a laugh.

Khan stared at Jim with an air of reproach. “This is not a joke, Jim.”

“I know. Sorry. Please, Khan. Let's just get started, okay?” 

Khan nodded. He took a disinfecting pad and wiped the whole of Jim's forearm. He reached for the small blowtorch next to the tray. He turned the knob and a blue flame sprung out. He picked up the pliers and turned to Kirk.

“Which one first?”

“The biggest one. Here.” Jim drew an imaginary line with his index finger on the inside of his forearm to show Khan where he wanted it. “This one's for Spock.”

Khan picked up the largest piece, secured it carefully in the pliers. He stuck it into the flame, making sure it was getting evenly heated up. Soon the metal was red hot. He turned to Jim, wheeled himself in the best spot, put his left hand over the crease of Jim's elbow and squeezed lightly.

Jim held his breath. Adrenalin made his heart beat faster. He could see the concentration on Khan's face, and he noticed how incredibly steady his hand was as he applied the heated metal to his skin for a second. Jim winced and exhaled sharply. It was already over. The smell of burnt hair and flesh filled the air. The burning sensation lingered for a few seconds, then faded. A thin black groove remained.

Khan opened the pliers and the metal fell in a bowl of water with a hiss.

“The other big one. Here. Right above the other one,” Jim instructed. “That's for Bones.”

Khan nodded, grabbed the second piece and heated it until it glowed. Khan turned, steadied himself and pressed into Jim's arm as Kirk winced again. This time, with the initial nervousness melting away, Jim was able to breathe through it. A few seconds later, he started to feel a bit dizzy.

Khan noticed something amiss right away. “Are you alright?”

“Yeah...Just, eh, feeling a bit 'high', I guess.” Jim grinned. And Khan flashed one of his rare smiles. The more time Jim was spending with Khan, the more he was turning into a endorphin junkie. And Khan couldn't have been more pleased.

“Any of the smaller ones. Here. This one is for Uhura.” Again, Jim demonstrated where the burn should be and Khan did as he was told.

Next, a strike was made for Scotty, and one for Sulu. Finally, the last burn was applied, for Chekov. The six segments clearly formed a large 'K'. 

Khan dropped the last red hot chunk of metal in the water. He put down the pliers, turned off the blowtorch. He turned to Jim and said “'K' for Kirk, made out of the sum of the people who helped define you. Very nice.” He got a clean cold washcloth and wiped the branding softly, removing any charred speck that remained.

“You idiot.” Jim said, smirking.

Khan frowned, looking at Jim with mix of surprise and annoyance. 

“'K' for Khan.” Jim said, looking directly into his eyes.

Khan tilted his head, in disbelief.

“Didn't you say the design should be meaningful? That it should represent my past, present or future, in some way?” Kirk asked.

Khan nodded. 

“My crew will always be part of me, yes. But you too. You've changed me forever.”

Khan silently resumed the cleaning, but Jim could see that Khan was pleased. And Jim loved to please Khan. 

“It doesn't hurt much.” Jim said running his fingers over the deep dark lines.

“It's a third degree burn. The nerves are gone. When you start to heal, in a day or two, it will hurt.” Khan explained as he fished out the metal pieces out of the water. He handed them over to Jim.

“No. You keep them.” Jim said, pushing Khan's hand away.

Khan made the blackened pieces cling in his hand, looking them over. “Thank you, Jim.” Yes. Khan was definitely pleased. He ran his own fingers over the fresh brand on Jim's forearm. In a barely audible whisper, he said “You're really mine now.”

**Author's Note:**

> Branding has special meaning for me because I have one myself. I wanted to write this story since I started writing about Khirk. I thought it'd fit nicely.


End file.
